I'm sixteen years old and still I believe in Santa, why you may ask, because I believe in Saints. There are arguments from protestants that say Saints are just a way to show idolatry and prevent worship of Christ; and most of the time the people who say that don't believe in the holy trinity or say the Apostles Creed. I as a Christian have to remember most churches around my town, don't follow the same liturgical order as the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic, or Episcopal Churches; and i must say it somewhat bothers me, but what can ya do.
I as most children have been told Santa is a big fat man who comes down the chimney once a year, and gives you presents, and if your bad he gives coal. Then when you are viewed as too old to believe some helpful teenager rips everything you ever believed in that was magical and tells you Santa's not real. Well, I'm here to give back what most children have been depraved of.
For starters, Santa isn't magic. He's a saint, he doesn't need magic to go around the world in one night; he has the holy spirit to move him where ever he wants to go. The origin of the whole "Santa gives gifts to every child on Christmas eve." came from one of a few stories.
In his most famous exploit however, a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in absence of any other possible employment would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man's plight, Nicholas decided to help him but being too modest to help the man in public, (or to save the man the humiliation of accepting charity), he went to his house under the cover of night and threw three purses (one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through the window opening into the man's house.
Remember this is Saint Nicholas we're talking about, not the traditional Santa with a belly like a bowl full of jelly. The origin of his traditional name Santa Claus, is much the same as the Dutch Sinterklaas. Which sounds much like our name for him.
Saint nicholas is world renowned by many names such as Nicholas the Wonderworker, for his Miracle and intercession. He's the patron saint of children for, another legend[11] tells how a terrible famine struck the island and a malicious butcher lured three little children into his house, where he slaughtered and butchered them, placing their remains in a barrel to cure, planning to sell them off as ham. Saint Nicholas, visiting the region to care for the hungry, not only saw through the butcher's horrific crime but also resurrected the three boys from the barrel by his prayers.
So, there are plenty of legends and stories but here's another reason to let children believe. How are they going to believe in God? How can you expect a child to believe in God if you say there is not a Santa. the response "God is real Santa isn't" is very commonly heard. Especially if you tell the child there isn't any proof of him. Tell me when they're trying to find themselves, what are they going to say to you when you show them the bible and they refute the creation story and say "God isn't real, even if he was he's dead now."
Then i bet you'll wish you had let them have faith in Santa, in a Saint who saved children, who gave gifts to desperate virgins.
My reason for believing in Santa is pretty cool. When my godmother and my mother were extremely poor back several years ago, they had nothing to eat, no money to get presents no money for clothes nothing. One christmas it was going to be a dime Christmas, which means homemade. My mother and my godmother scrounged for My godmother's daughter a baby carriage and a doll house. That was all she wanted, and they couldn't find a nice carriage; so they took a part an old basket and hot glued legs and wheels on to it. They made a doll house out of scraps. It was rough, dirty, and not pretty at all; and as the christmas season progressed my godmother kept saying "oh, i'll never be able to get this for her, we won't have food." My mom asked "don't you believe in Santa. He'll get it for her."
My godmother said "No. There's no such thing as Santa."
Well,christmas came everything was perfect, the doll house, the carriage everything. On, their door step was a bag filled with groceries. Just what they needed.
That's my reason for believing along with my faith in Saints. You can tell me whatever you want, try to disprove it. I don't care you can't break my faith in these stories.
Do you have a Santa story you can't explain? Do you still believe?
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